A legislator has appealed to the government to put up disaster-resilient mega evacuation centers (ECs) for the benefit of thousands of people fleeing their homes amid the increasingly devastating impact of climate change.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte made the appeal saying pre-emptive evacuation of families in high-risk areas has become the norm in light of the recent streak of six typhoons that hit the country in rapid succession over the past two months.
“It’s time for the national government to work with LGUs (local government units) in putting up permanent climate-proof and fully-equipped mega ECs in elevated places to ensure that evacuees have safe and fully-equipped temporary shelters to go to whenever typhoons and other natural calamities strike, especially our high-risk communities with ever increasing ferocity and frequency as a result of planet heating,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte hoped that in the construction of permanent ECs, priority will be given to building such disaster-resilient facilities in high-risk areas across the country.
“This can actually happen now following President Marcos’ signing of RA (Republic Act) No. 12076 or the ‘Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act’ on the creation of storm-resilient permanent ECs in all cities and municipalities across the country,” said Villafuerte.
Camarines Sur was deemed the hardest-hit province by severe tropical storm Kristine, the first of six typhoons that struck the Philippines between the Oct. 23 and Nov. 18 period.
The five other cyclones that hit the Philippines in less than a month’s time were named Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel and Pepito.
With Kristine dumping two months’ worth of rainfall in a single day in Camarines Sur and other places in Bicol and the rest of Luzon, Villafuerte said his province suffered its worst flooding ever, with many communities submerged for the first time in floodwaters reaching the rooftops of houses.
Many ECs have turned into disaster places for evacuees when Kristine hit Camarines Sur as these supposed temporary shelters for families fleeing unprecedented floods were inundated and rendered unfit or unsafe to accommodate dislocated families, Villafuerte said.
“Hence, the need for mega ECs big enough to accommodate more and more evacuees and that are built on high or elevated places free from floods, with priority given to high-risk cities and municipalities,” he added.
